Two years into the Arab Spring, the winds of hope and change have turned into a tempest of fear and people are crying foul.

Shadi Hamid is the director of research at the Brookings Doha Center and knows many of the leaders now in power in Arab Spring countries. In the video above he shares his rare insight with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

soundoff(28 Responses)

Jamila Waadalla

Many of us are truly sorry you felt it necessary to have a facelift...it's painfully obvious and has removed all trace of character and individuality from your features. What a shame that you feel your power and attraction for those who listen to you and read you are based on a surface. Bad choice, morally, politically, and aesthetically. You are not what we thought you were.

its quite sure, this is not an arab spring, its an arab automn or fall, arabs will rise again after 200 years.. they need top reconsider their ideology. the problem is not in the enemies but in arab mentality itself. they need enough courage and bravery to confront themselves and change historically not backward but frontward

Amen, Marwan!
Unfortunately, as long as Islamism (not Islam) remains a tool of foreign policy for the wealthy monarchies of the Gulf region and no international resolve to confront it, the MENA countries will continue to regress.

February 24, 2013 at 9:50 am |

Xiao Xiong

It is her personal choice. If it makes her feel better about herself than more power to her.

Bumpy eh? More like bouncing off a cliff. These islamofascists will return the Middle East into a war zone and drag us all down with them. Jihad is the game. Killing Jews and dechristianisation of the whole of the ME is the result

I'm not sure what 'bumpy' is supposed to mean. A couple of hundred thousand dead and the results are they are under the yoke of Medieval fascists? Well as long as Amanpour can blame Israel it's all good.

those who came to power using Islam are the first to abuse islam. see how Mosrsi started to implementing brotherhood in every major sector in Egypt from day one, including his own family. his son who graduated 2012 now have a good position without doing the military service as every single Egyptian male. its not too early for a turning point. & Mossi shouldn't lead if he misunderstand what is Islam

I agree, brotherhood leader picture him as a profit. Egypt is an Islamic country and always will be. no need to those extremist who just take advantage of religion and use poor youth & divide our society. they have no skills or knowledge to govern.

February 16, 2013 at 3:34 pm |

k_Daraa

And that leaves an estimated 15 MILLION Egyptian COPTIC CHRISTIANS under an islamofascist dictatorship. That is enough people standing shoulder-to-shoulder to stretch nearly 6,000 miles between Morsi's Cairo, and Barack's Washington DC. Each and every one of those people suffer under the extreme authoritarian sunni government of Morsi implementing sunni islamic law over even Christians.

February 17, 2013 at 3:08 pm |

Mostafa

actually we begin to see the islamofascists impact in Egypt. the Egyptian Jihadists now on TV trying to mobilize youth to fight with them in Syria against Bashar. Bashar is a looser in my pinon but dragging young ppl in Egypt to fight against Alawes who r seen as Suni &Salafi enemies?, the only result is some more new Ben-ladenS. good luck USA

Democracy and Theocracy are fighting it out all over these Arab spring countries. I think the islamists will win over the secularists by using violence and rape in Egypt, which is on the verge of bankruptcy caused by the unrest.

Christian Amanpour seems to suggest that at the end of the road the much desired Arab democracy is anxiously waiting to be embraced by the Middle East 'populace'. While dreaming is permitted even on the air, her expectations are well above and beyond reality. The Arab nations will not change now or in the near future but there is a chance for such an event to happen by the end of this millennium. Or maybe the next if we are all still standing and breathing.

I don t see off any Arab spring i see only Millions Muslim Killed How can you call Arab spirng Look how mane Muslims Killed in Iraq Bosnia Palestina, Libija, Afganistan, Egipat for what People Killed Is This Muslim Fridom hmm so stuped fridom

Post a comment

CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.